Just Beneath the Dawn
by T. F. Crosby
Summary: They were nothing more than filthy beasts. That's what the children had always been told. So what do you do when you discover that some of those filthy beasts have become like family to you? Easy. Fight for them.
1. Prologue One

_I've had story ideas for Xena floating around in my head since the original airing of the fifth season. Only now am I getting any "writing it out" accomplished. However, this is one of my more recent ideas, though I have been bouncing back and forth between a couple key points. Actually, that should be bouncing back and forth between two ideas for the main plotline. But I will have it all sorted out before I get too far into the story._

_There will be three prologues. I, hopefully, will have the next one up by the weekend._

_The story focuses on our favorite triplets, but Xena and Gabrielle also have a crucial part to play. Other characters may even appear throughout._

_This is my first fanfic for this show. I hope you enjoy it._

_**Just Beneath the Dawn**_

**Prologue One**

Following a single leaf as it falls gently to the earth is fairly easy—as long as you are not distracted by anything. However, following a single leaf as it falls gently to the ground among a plethora of leaves is a little more difficult. Especially if that leaf is similar in color to the other leaves.

He let out a puff of air at a golden-red leaf as it floated towards his face; the one he had been following. The leaf swirled away from him, hitting his blonde companion in the back of the head. She turned around, grimacing. He gave her a cock-eyed grin and shrugged. As she turned back to face the road before them, his grin turned into a broad smile.

Another leaf floated toward him. He had the urge to bat it around like a cat. Memories of himself and his brothers jumping around in the leaves when they were young flooded his mind. Autumn where he grew up was always beautiful. The golden-red and orange leaves seemed to entwine themselves with the golden colors of the rising sun. That was beautiful enough, but when those autumn leaves were cast against a crystal-blue sky….

All of the seasons were wonderful. The newness of spring. The warmth of the summer sun. The pure-white snow of winter. He began to whistle as he strolled along behind his two companions. The cool autumn air felt so good on his face. A sudden gust of wind pulled a mass of leaves off the trees (almost stripping a few bare) and stirred up those lying on the ground, sending the aureate blades swirling around them. Then, just as sudden as the gust had come, he felt something that unnerved him.

He flexed his hands. "No, not now," he said to himself. "This can't be happening."

"Did you say something, Joxer?" Gabrielle asked, looking back at him.

"No, no. Nothing at all," he said quickly, hiding his anxiety. Changing his tone he continued, "Are we almost there?"

"We're still half a day out," Xena replied as Gabrielle shook her head.

"Oh. That's good."

He took a deep breath and flexed his hands again. _This can't be happening. Not now. It was just a dream._ Looking at his companions he sighed, falling into an almost meditative state. But his thoughts were not on the two women walking in front of him.

He assimilated his surroundings.

_I sure hope they haven't become too complacent. _

The loud cry of a bird pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced up to see a large raptor perched on a limb of a tree just a few feet in front of them. The trio stopped in front of the tree and looked up at the bird.

"Is that a hawk?" Gabrielle queried.

"Yes, it is," Xena answered, studying the bird.

"I didn't know they were found out here."

"They're not," Xena said. "At least they shouldn't be."

"Where do you think it came from?"

"Who knows."

_I do, _Joxer thought. The hawk cocked its head to look at him. He stiffened slightly as the bird stared. _What do you want?_

"Who cares," he said aloud. "It's just a stupid bird." Walking away, he glanced back at the two women. "You coming?"

They looked at each other.

"That was weird," Gabrielle said.

Xena shrugged and followed after him with Gabrielle right behind.

"Are you okay, Joxer?" Xena asked.

"I'm fine," he replied, drifting back to his thoughts. _So, you've finally found us. _He glanced back. The hawk was watching him. _Well then, come and get us._

**_Xena: Warrior Princess_**

_The hawk was a last minute addition. I wanted to make this chapter a little longer than what I had. And the idea for the hawk fits in quite well and will make more sense to the story than a raven or crow would have._

_Well, I hope you liked the first opening. Until, next time._


	2. Prologue Two

**Prologue Two**

_Thud!_

Falling out of bed—again. After so many years he thought he'd be over this. So much for that notion. Now that he was thinking about it, _not_ adding in the elevated platform with steps to set his bed on was a very wise decision. Yes, definitely one of his best moves. Even better than his fantastic dance moves. It was a good thing no one was there to witness his taking an o-so-graceful topple out of his cozy berth. Especially, his brothers. If they had seen it he would never hear the end of it.

Yawning, he sat up on his knees, resting his right arm on his bed. He sighed, realizing he had absolutely nothing planned for the day. _At all. _No shows, no rehearsals. No nothing. _How boring_. He needed to figure something out.

Standing up, he stretched and headed for the washroom. As he passed the window, a sea of golden leaves swirling in the wind caught his eye. He stopped and stared out the window, watching the leaves as they danced. His mind was taken back into his past. Every season held special memories. The fluffy, white snow in winter. The colorful flowers in spring. The fireflies in summer. The crunchy, golden leaves in autumn…. Heh. Fireflies. Fireflies were always fun. He closed his eyes, imagining himself back home with his brothers, watching the fireflies dance around them. He could remember all three of them grinning like idiots as they watched. Of course, there was always one of them that could only stand it for so long before he began chasing the insects, trying to catch them.

Opening his eyes, he was immediately distracted by his reflection. _Bed head. Great. _He tried to smooth out his hair. _Nope. Not gonna work. _His hair still stuck out everywhere. The fact that it was flattened on top didn't help any. Only a shower was going to cure this mess. Sometimes he swore this mop of his had a mind of its own.

Sighing, he headed into the washroom, dragging his fingers across the doorjamb. Looking into the mirror, he noticed something strange on the edge of the door. _Something was wrong. _As he walked towards the door, he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline.

His eyes widened.

"It can't be."

His ears perked at the sound of something rapping at the window. Turning towards the window, he saw a large raptor perched on a tree limb, staring into the room.

"I know you," he said under his breath. _What do you want?_

The bird called as it sat perched, staring at him. He stared back as if in a trance.

A sudden knock at the door jolted him from his stupor. It was followed by the voice of a child.

"Mr. Jace?"

Jace opened the door to a young boy. "Pyrros?"

"Good morning, Mr. Jace," the boy cheerfully greeted.

"Good morning," Jace replied, tousling the boy's shaggy, brown hair. "What are you doing here?"

"Just delivering a message."

Jace raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Is that so?" He turned and walked back to the window with the boy following.

"Kleon and Eugenia want to talk to you about your next show." The boy looked up at Jace. When the man didn't reply, Pyrros followed his gaze out the window. His eyes widened. "Whoa…. It's a hawk. I didn't know hawks came down here."

"They don't," Jace said flatly.

"Do you think it belongs to someone?"

_I know it does._ He looked at the boy. "It is possible." The hawk called out once more and then flew off with Jace's gaze following.

Pyrros grimaced, watching the man. "Are you okay, Mr. Jace?"

"Huh?" He looked back at the boy. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." Pyrros smiled at him; he smiled back. "Go on. I need to get ready for the day."

"Okay. See you later, Mr. Jace."

As the boy ran off, Jace took one last look out the window. _So, you finally found us. _He smirked. _We'll see who wins this time._

**Xena: Warrior Princess**

And there you have prologue number two. Of course, who has prologue three is obvious. His is going to be quite different though.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Prologue Three

**Prologue Three**

_Shadows danced against the firelight hidden deep within the forest. A lone man sat silently before it, his loyal, four-legged companion lay beside him. He grunted, looking at his full quiver. No luck today. Not even Sin's nose could sniff them out on this hunt. Those beasts were becoming more skilled and clever, but not enough to stop The Hunter. He would find those filthy beasts soon enough—and destroy them for good._

* * *

><p><em>Deep within the brush a pair of eyes cautiously watched the old (well, what he saw as old) man and his dog. He could smell the rabbit roasting over the fire. It smelled so good.<em>

_'Man, I am so hungry…. I bet that rabbit's gonna taste so good.'_

_His stomach growled. 'I hope they didn't hear that.'_

_He sighed. Catching his own dinner had ended only in rotten luck. Man, he really wanted some of that rabbit, but he couldn't just saunter right into the man's camp. That dog would definitely take a nice bite out of him. Speaking of which, he wondered why the mutt hadn't sniffed him out yet. Maybe it was his change of clothes. Or possibly the rabbit? _

_'Or maybe he's just dumb.'_

_"Who's out there?"_

_'Uh-oh.' He looked at the ground. 'Stupid crunchy leaves.' He sighed again. 'Oh, well. Here goes nothin'.'_

* * *

><p><em>The man held his bow at the ready as the brush rustled. His companion had alerted him to a presence outside his camp. He slowly lowered his bow as a young man stepped into the firelight.<em>

_"What're you doin' here, boy?" the man said._

_"Uh…hunting," the young man replied, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. "No luck, though."_

_His stomach growled again. _

_The man grinned. "Have a seat, kid."_

* * *

><p><em>They had been sitting by the fire for nearly an hour, the man sharing the rabbit, when the dog started to growl. At first, the young man didn't know at what. But then….<em>

_He felt something sharp at his back. Frozen in place, he gasped as the man spoke._

_"I know what you are, boy," he said in a slow, gravely voice. "You're one of them."_

_The young man swallowed hard. 'Oh, no. A hunter.'_

_"Since I like the thrill of the chase, I'll give you the chance to get a head start." A malicious smile crept over the hunter's face. "Run, boy. Run, you filthy beast!"_

_He shot up off the log and bolted into the wood. The Hunter's laughter followed him as he ran. Seconds later, he heard the dog howl. He ran as fast as he could through brush, over fallen trees and through the stream. The hound let out another howl. They were on him. He took a quick look behind him. The Hunter was still out of sight. As he turned his eyes back to his path, he plowed right into a fallen tree, tumbling to the ground._

_He growled at himself. "That was a dumb move."_

_Pushing himself up to his feet, he caught the fluttering of wings out of the corner of his eye. He looked up into the tree next to him._

_"A hawk. Haven't seen one of you in a while."_

_His ear twitched. Silence. 'Where's that hunter and his mutt?'_

_He stilled his breath, waiting for any movement. The wood around him was deathly still. He looked back up at the hawk. The bird was staring at him. They blinked at each other, then the creature let out a soft cry and took flight._

_The young man looked around and then slowly began to back away from the tree. As he turned to run again, his ears twitched at a whistling sound._

_"An arrow."_

_He dropped to the ground seconds before the wooden missile went flying over him, lodging itself in a tree. His heart pounding, he turned onto his back to face The Hunter, now hovering over him, and an arrow pointed at his chest. _

_"Say good-night, you filthy—"_

* * *

><p>His eyes shot open, darting around the room. Recognizing his surroundings, he slowly sat up, taking a deep breath to calm himself.<p>

_That dream again._

He pushed the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. _The dream._ It had been occurring every other night for the past two weeks, repeating itself, moment for moment.

"Looks like we finally found out what can make the King of Assassins sweat."

Jett looked up, wiping the sweat from his brow. He growled at the guard as the man laughed and walked away. Throttling the man sounded very pleasant, but if what he believed was about to happen, strangling the meat sack would not be the brightest idea.

_Better to not leave a trail._

He stood and walked up to the cell door. _Silence._ Everyone was still asleep; the guards had moved on to the next cell block. His eyes searched lazily up and down the corridor. Of course, he had to be _here_ when it happened.

_Oh, well. It won't be long now._

**Xena: Warrior Princess**

The final prologue. Hope it was enjoyable.


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